West Ham expect Kurt Zouma to be fit to face Newcastle on Saturday after he went down with a stomach bug ahead of their 2-2 draw at Leicester on Sunday.
Hammers manager David Moyes was once again set to start the defender, despite the outrage sparked by footage of the 27-year-old mistreating his cat and the ongoing RSPCA investigation.
However, the France international was forced to withdraw from the team 30 minutes before kick-off, having fallen ill overnight.
Zouma travelled back to London in a separate car from his team-mates and, as is standard procedure with illnesses that could spread amongst the squad, he was set to be kept away from Monday’s recovery session before the whole squad are given a day off on Tuesday.
But Moyes is hopeful Zouma will make a quick return and feature at the weekend.
Issa Diop took Zouma’s place in the starting XI at the King Power and was excellent alongside Craig Dawson, with some vital challenges and an assist for Jarrod Bowen’s opener.
"It was a sickness virus so I would expect so," said Moyes.
"He was ill before the game, wanted to play, we wanted him to play as well. He was sick during the night, he stayed away from the players and did not eat much. Once he got out he did not think it was possible.
“We told Issa Diop to be ready. It is a stomach bug, probably something he has eaten."
